NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The expression of six genes is highly predictive of overall survival in patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma, the most common type of lymphoma in adults, US-based scientists report in the April 29th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
Dr. Izidore S. Lossos from Stanford University Medical Center in California and co-workers used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to measure the expression of 36 genes in diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma biopsy specimens from 66 patients. These 36 genes have previously been linked to outcome in large-B-cell lymphoma.
They found that the expression of just six genes -- LM02, BCL6, FN1, CCND2, SCYA3, and BCL2 -- correlated strongly with overall survival.
The expression of BCL2, CCND2, and SCYA2, for example, is associated with short survival, while LM02 expression is associated with prolonged survival
Based on the expression of these six genes, Dr. Lossos and colleagues developed a multivariate model that assigns patients to one of three prognostic groups: low-risk, medium-risk, or high-risk of death. They validated the model’s ability to predict survival in two independent microarray data sets.
The six-gene model was “independent of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and added to its predictive power,” according to the team.
“Diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma is heterogeneous and may require a risk-adjusted approach to therapy,” Dr. Lossos and colleagues write. “The six-gene model and quantitative PCR can most likely be used to identify patients who may benefit from new treatments,” they conclude.
With this work, Dr. Lossos and colleagues have “passed a milestone in the development of clinical diagnostic tests for cancer,” Dr. Sridhar Ramaswamy from the Center for Cancer Research at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston writes in an editorial.
They have moved from “genome-scale surveys of gene expression in human tumors to the creation and initial validation of a novel diagnostic tool that should fit easily into clinical practice and might refine the currently available measures used for risk stratification,” Dr. Ramaswamy states.
Source: N Engl J Med 2004;350:1814-1816,1828-1837. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Genetic Techniques: Lymphoma, Undifferentiated: Investigative Techniques: Lymphoma, Intermediate-Grade: Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Diffuse: Gene Expression Profiling: Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and EquipmentCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
